A WHEELCHAIR-bound cop left with horrific injuries in a motorbike crash was slapped with a £100 fine – for parking in a disabled bay.
Ian Jamieson, 45, hasn't been able to walk since the collision last November so uses the wheelchair to get around.
But he was hit with a parking fine after visiting Tesco in Coventry with his sister Sue last month when they left the car in a disabled space.
Traffic officer Ian said: "When we came back to the car, we had a ticket, and when we saw it was for parking in a disabled bay, we were completely shocked."
The police officer has effectively been left housebound after he was involved in the nasty accident while taking part in a motorbike training session.
He was left with an agonising list of injuries including broken bones and ligament damage.
The cop mostly uses a wheelchair, but on the day he was slapped with the fine, he was feeling confident enough to walk on his crutches.
But as his disability is temporary, he hasn't been issued with a blue badge so some clearly marked spaces are off-limits to him.
Ian said: “After my accident, I was taken straight to hospital and operated on the following day – since then, I’ve been in a wheelchair until I recover.
“I have no choice but to rely on my sister and other people to get around, as I can’t drive and I’m dependent on my wheelchair and crutches.
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“On this occasion, we parked in a disabled bay in Arena Tesco’s car park.
“I haven’t been allowed a blue badge because my disability is just ‘temporary’, so we are careful to park in bays that don’t specify that we need a blue badge.
“As far as we could see, this was the case at Tesco, and so off we went to the shops."
He continued: "I feel that I qualify to park in this space, and especially seeing as the wheelchair was clearly visible in the back of the car, you would think it is obvious that the car is parked in the correct space.”
Ian and his sister managed to track down the ticket officer a few minutes later, but he said they had to appeal.
He added: “He told us it wasn’t him that issued the ticket, but we could appeal it.
“A sign with small print was pointed out to us around 10 cars in the opposite direction from the shops which stated some terms and conditions, but in terms of the bay we parked in, we felt it suited my condition.
“We did appeal, and we lost and now we face paying £100. Which is a kick in the teeth when you see two thieves in the paper for stealing from the same shop and only getting fined £40.”
Park Watch, who runs the Arena Tesco car park, has been contacted for comment.
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